Conservation Corner: September 13, 1999

Food Plots - Part 2
by James L. Cummins

Just as food plots are important to deer, they are also valuable to other species. Food plots are important to wintering waterfowl as nutritional needs increase during the winter months. During this time, waterfowl rely on invertebrates for protein and acorns and moist-soil seeds for energy. Food plots can help to supplement energy needs. Corn is an excellent source of energy which can be important in years of poor acorn crops. Almost any grain can be grown for waterfowl. Some of the most commonly grown crops are corn, browntop and japanese millet.

For quail, fall and winter are the two critical seasons. In fall, quail move frequently. If food is near, most birds will remain in the area. During winter, food is critical for survival. Food plots for quail should be 1/8 to 1/4 acre in size and should be located near thick wooded areas, tall grassy fields and brushpiles. Crops such as corn and soybeans provide waste grain as long as they aren't covered by plowing or disking after harvesting. A portion of a field adjacent to cover should remain undisked throughout the winter. Plantings for quail include partridge pea, Florida beggarweed, kobe lespedeza, hairy vetch, browntop millet, bicolor lespedeza and wild reseeding soybeans.

Wild turkeys eat a variety of plant and animal materials. Young turkey poults require large quantities of insects and other animal matter to get protein for rapid growth. As turkeys mature, plant materials become the primary food source. Mature turkeys prefer acorns. In years of low mast crops, food plots can supplement the nutritional needs of turkeys. Food plots should be made available during the fall, winter and spring to fulfill the needs of the young poults, as well as mature birds.

Food plots for wild turkeys should be located near prime turkey habitat. Large tracts of mature bottomland and upland hardwoods or pine-hardwood mixtures, interspersed with open areas, are preferred habitat. These open areas are excellent sites for food plots. Recommended plantings include ryegrass, ladino clover, crimson clover, bahiagrass and wheat. Many plots intended for deer will also provide forage areas for turkeys.

When planting food plots, crops should be planted according to rates and seeding times. Preparing seedbeds properly will increase germination and yield a more productive food plot.

Try different varieties to find which plantings work the best in a given area. When planting large food plots, try combination plantings or try half cool-season and half warm-season plantings.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.